City Makes A Name For Itself Town West Of St. Maries Was Chatcolet, Now Is Parkline

Where Chatcolet once stood, now stands Parkline.

After months of petitions, legal research and calls to Joe, Mont., for advice, Chatcolet officials have changed the city’s name.

Last week, volunteers installed a new sign on the town’s western edge.

“Parkline, pop. 82,” it says. “SLOW.”

“I hope we don’t get no bullet holes in it,” said City Councilman Norman “Dutch” Odekirk, who helped put the sign up. The tiny city is about 15 miles west of St. Maries.

“We’ve tried to stay a city, because we don’t want to be taken over by the county,” said Mayor Maxine Fecko. “We want to have some say in growth.”

Fortunately, the old signs didn’t have to be taken down - someone stole them about two years ago. “They just disappeared,” said Fecko.

City officials weren’t sure how to change the name, since they could find no evidence of another Idaho city doing it legally.

“There is no precedent; the state couldn’t find any,” said Fecko.

They called the city of Joe, Mont., which changed its name to honor football legend Joe Montana. But officials told them the name change is only for a short time each year, and it’s not really official.

Finally, since virtually every Chatcolet resident signed a petition for the change, the council felt it was on firm ground. The ordinance took effect a few weeks ago.

Chatcolet incorporated in 1947 so its restaurant could get a liquor license. Through a fluke of planning, the city originally included a cluster of summer cottages inside Heyburn State Park.

Since the homes were near Chatcolet Lake, the city was named Chatcolet.

Two years ago, however, the council decided to shrink the city to a more manageable size. What remained was miles away from Chatcolet Lake, just outside the park boundary.

“When we de-annexed the park, we figured it wouldn’t be proper to keep Chatcolet here, when it’s there,” said Fecko. “This has always been known as ‘parkline.”’ The city’s only businesses are the Parkline Supper Club and Parkline Mobile Home Park.

The two new signs cost the city $120 each. The city didn’t have enough clout to get the speed limit reduced on Highway 5, which runs through town. But the council decided a sign saying “SLOW” might shame a few speeders into easing up on the accelerator.

Odekirk said it’s good to finally have the signs in place.

“It gives us some identification for ambulance, fires, and so on,” said Odekirk. “Half the city of St. Maries doesn’t even know where Parkline is.

“Now they will.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo Map of area